Thread-cabinet



2^She`ets-Sheet 1. W. K. SHELTON 8v P. H.=STEWART.

THREAD CABINET (No Model.)

Patented Feb. 18, 1896.

` /lv vili/Tons ANDREW BLRAHAM. PHUTOMTMQWASHIMGYDN. D C

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. K. SHELTON & P. H. STEWART. 'THREAD iCABINET.

No. 554,961. vPatented Peb. 18, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM KNOX SHELTON AND PERRY HOWARD STEWART, OF HOPKINS, MISSOURI.

TH READ-CABINET.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,961, dated February 18, 1896. Application filed August 23, 1895. Serial No. 560,263. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM KNox SHEL- 'roN and PERRY HOWARD STEWART, of Hopkins, in the county of Nodaway and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved Thread-Cabinet, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to an improvement in cabinets especially adapted for holding spool-thread of any description, and the object of the invention is to provide a cabinet in which a number of rows of silk, cotton or other kinds of thread may be advantageously displayed, enabling a probable purchaser to select any shade without the necessity of opening the cabinet or the exposure of the spools of thread to dust, and also enabling the salesman to expeditiously and conveniently match any shade.

Another object of this invention is to provide a revoluble cabinet of polygonal form wherein a number of main compartments may be formed to display in each a number of shades of the same color of silk or thread, and wherein also a central and commodious storage-compartment will be formed in which the surplus stock may be kept.

A further object of the invention is to provide a distributing device of exceedingly simple, durable and economic construction, a single device being used in connection with each row of spools, and, furthermore, to so construct the said distributing devices that normally each will support a column of spools, and whereby upon manipulating a distributing device in one direction the lowermost spool of the column which the device supports will be dropped and held in a lower position than formerly, and whereby when the device is released it will support the column by engageinent with the next to the lowermost spool of the column and entirely release the lower most spool.

Theinvention consists in the novel construction and combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, formingapart of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved cabinet, a portion thereof being in horizontal section. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the cabinet. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken about centrally and on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4L is a front elevation of one of the distributing devices, a portion of one of the cells in which a row of spools is to be contained being shown in vertical section. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of a portion of one of the said cells and a side elevation of a distributing device, illustrating the device as supporting a column of spools. Fig. 6 is a horizontal section through a portion of one of the spoolcells, illustrating a distributing device in plan view, being shown in positive lines in a position to support the column of spools and in dotted lines in a position to release the lowermost spool of a column; and Fig. 7 is a perspective View of the main portion of the distributing device, illustrating the relation of its members to one another.

In carrying out the invention the cabinet A is preferably given a polygonal shape, being illustrated as octagonal, and in the formation of the cabinet the corner-posts 10 are connected by an inner sheathing or vertical partitions 11, and opposing corner-posts are grooved or otherwise formed to receive panes or panels 13 of a transparent material, forming thereby a series of vertical compartments B, and each compartment is divided into a series of cells by transverse partitions 12, which extend from the back partition of a compartment preferably to an engagement with the front transparent panel, and each of the cells is adapted to contain a column of spools 12a. The inner space surrounded by the vertical inner partitions 11 forms a central storage-compartment A', since the cabinet is .provided with a suitable bottom, and preferably across the central portion of the top of the cabinet a bar or strip A2 is fastened, said bar extending between the upper ends of two opposite corner-posts 10 to which lids A3 are hinged, enabling access to be readily gained to vthe central or storage compartment and to the several display-compartments B.

At the bottom of the front portion of each of the display-compartments B a strip 15 is located, forming a portion of the framework IOO oi the cabinet, and the glass panes or panels are stopped short of the strips l5 a predetermined distance, as shown in Fig. 5, while the bottom portion of each display-compartment is open.

A distributing device C is provided for each of the cells of each of the display-compartments, and the said distributing devices are located upon the base-strips l5. Each distributing device comprises a base c and a body-section c'. The base-section consists of a plate 1G adapted to be screwed or otherwise secured to the outer face of the base-strip l5 of the cabinet, the said base-section being provided with an upper and a lower outwardlyextending lug 17. The body of the device consists of a handle 1S and two spaced arms l) and 20, preferably made integral with the said handle. The arms are passed respectively over the top and under the bottom lug of the base c, and a pivot-pin 2l is passed through the arms and through the lugs, while a spring 22 is coiled around the piu, having bearing against the base. The upper arm is preferably made practically in alignment with the handle, and the spring normally holds this arm at substantially a right angle to the base l5, across which it extends into one of the cells containing the spools, while the lower arm 2O is bent at an angle to the upper arm which may be termed straight,and the said lower arm is normally located beneath the strip l5 to which the distributing device is attached, so as to be out of the way of the descending spool. The lowermost spoolin each column will normally rest upon the inner end of the upper straight arm of the distributing device, and all the spools of the different columns will be supported by the said straight arms.

lVhen it is desirable to remove a spool, the body of the distributing device of the column in which the spool is located is forced in direct-ion of the base-strip l5 upon which it is secured, placing the spring 22 under tension, and while the straight upper arm of the device is carried from beneath the column of spools the lower arm will be substituted beneath said column and will receive the undermost spool as the entire column drops. The moment that the distributing device is released and returns to its normal position the uppermost arm will enter the space between the undermost spool and the one next above it, while the undermost spool will drop down through the opening at the bottom of the cell in which the column is placed, since the lowermost arm will have been carried out of the path of the spools of the column. Thus it will be observed that but two motions will be required in manipulating a distributing device. One of them causes the entire column to drop, and the other motion, which is caused automatically by the spring 22, releases the under-most spool, at the same time supporting the column by engagement with the undermost of the remaining spools of the column. It will be vunderstood that a web 20 is formed, preferably at the back of the body portion of the distributing device, extending from one arm to the other, and that the said web, as shown in Fig. 5, will strike the lugs 17 on the base of the distributing device when the body portion is in its normal position.

This cabinetis exceedingly simple,durable, and economie in its construction, as are likewise the distributing devices employed; and through the medium of the latter a spool from any cell or from any column of spools in the cabinet may be quickly delivered therefrom. The cabinet is preferably mounted to turn upon a base D, so that any one of its exhibition-compartments may be brought to view from a predetermined po/int.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- A thread-cabinet comprising posts forming l between them compartments to receive the spools, said compartments having open bottoms, a vertical partition secured to thejnn'er parts of the said posts and forming one wall of the spool-eompartments, a rail secured to the outer parts of the posts at the lower end thereof, a panel secured to the outer parts of the posts and forming the outer wall of the compartments, the lower edge of the panel being above and spaced away from the top ot' said rail, and distributing devices for said compartments, each such device comprising a base secured to the outer side of the rail with perforated lugs at bottom and top, a body having arms arranged at angles to each other and pivoted to said perforated lugs on the base, said arms being arranged when the body is moved to alternately enter the compartments over the respective upper and lower edges of said rail and a spring Acoiled on the pivot of said body and arranged to normally hold the upper arm of the body in the compartment and the lower arm outside thereof, substantially as set forth.

TILLIAM KNOX SHELTON. PERRY IIOVARD STEWART. lVitnesses SANFORD A. FLEMING, BAXTER WooLDRIDGE.

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